Dalip Tahil On Playing Aamir Khan’s Father In His Early 30s: 'Many Actors Turned Down That Role'

Dalip Tahil discloses a surprising fact about the casting dynamics of the 1988 blockbuster Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. Despite being in his early 30s at the time, Dalip signed on to play the father of Aamir Khan, who is only ten years his junior. In a candid chat on Cyrus Says, Dalip shared that the unconventional casting choice didn’t faze him, although it did discourage other actors from taking the part.

“It was my first father role, and the film was a game changer for me. I am ten years older than Aamir. In fact, that was the reason why quite a few actors didn’t take the role as they didn’t want to do a father role. That’s what Nasir Hussain sir (producer) had told me. I was in my early 30s at the time and didn’t think about it twice, the role was fantastic and so I did it,” Dalip said.

When asked about concerns of being stereotyped as an on-screen father following his role in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Dalip Tahil initially shrugged off any worries, “There was no question of fearing typecast because it was my first time. After that I got a lot of father roles and then I was worried about being typecast, because that is a problem with all actors. If something succeeds, everyone wants you to play the same thing all over again. But fortunately for me I managed to do other stuff,” he explained.

If one were to compile a list of romantic films made in Bollywood, the classic Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak would certainly find a place in it. The 1988 film was the debut of Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla, both of whom went on to become popular stars thereafter. The movie, which was a modern-day rendition of Romeo and Juliet, revolves around youngsters from two feuding families falling in love with each other. Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak achieved many milestones. Aamir Khan’s cousin and filmmaker Mansoor Khan directed the film. It not only changed the face of Bollywood but also gave T-Series its breakthrough into the world of music. All six songs of the film were chartbusters, and about 10 million cassettes of the album were sold.